Safety razor



Jan. 23,1934. H, MaCNEILL' 1,944,356

SAFETY RAZOR Filed Jan. 4, 19:55

Patented Jan. 23, 1934 UNITE STATES mam" QFFIQE SAFETY RAZOR Harris L.Macl\leill, Walthain, Mass. Application January 4, 1933. Serial No.650,056 4 Claims. (o1. 30-1 2) This invention relates to a safety razorcomprising a guard plate having a serrated edge, a handle, and adetachable blade, the razor being adapted to be conditioned forstropping, or other- 6 wise sharpening, without detaching the blade, theguard plate and handle constituting elements of means for sharpening theblade.

The object of the invention is to provide a safety razor of simpleconstruction adapted to be quickly and conveniently conditioned both forshaving and sharpening, the construction being such' that when the razoris conditioned for sharpening, the handle may be held substantiallyperpendicular to a sharpening surface, and moved to and fro over thesame to impart sharpening movements to the blade, and the blade may befirst automatically raised from said surface and then deposited thereonat a proper sharpening angle during reversals of the sharpeningmovements,so that injury to the'blade edge and to the sharpening surfaceduring reversal is impossible.

Of the accompanying drawing. forming a part of this specification, V

Figure 1 shows separately in perspective the component parts of a.safety razor constituting the preferred embodiment of the invention.

. Figure 2 is a sectional view showing said parts assembled, the razorbeing conditioned for shaving.

Figure 3 is an enlargement of portions of Figure 2.

Figures 4 and 5 are side views showing the razor conditioned forstropping, and a strop.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing portions of the razorand strop, the razor being shown in stropping relation to the strop.

Figure '7 shows the razor and strop parts shown by Figure 6, the razorparts being shown as they appear when the stropping movement is beingreversed.

Figure 8 shows in perspective a razor embodying the invention havingblade securing means differing from the means shown by the precedingfigures.

Figure 9 shows separately in perspective, parts of the razor shown byFigure 8.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of thefigures.

' I will first describe the preferred embodiment shown by Figures 1 to7.

The body, or rigid portion of the razor includes a guard plate 12 havinga serrated edge whose teeth are designated by 13, and a handle fixed to,and projecting from the back of the guard plate,

the handle preferably-including an outer section ing ends being formedto rigidly clamp one end.

of a detent member hereinafter described. The

section 15 is rigidly connected at 17 (Figures 2 and 3), with the plate12. r

18 designates a blade rest, preferably formed from sheet metal, andhaving means for releasably securing a blade 19 which, as shown byFigure 1, is two-edged, and of the Gillette type. Said means in thisinstance include spaced apart studs 20 adapted to enter orifices 21 inthe blade, and having slots 22 in their inner sides extending parallelwith each other, anda sheet metal holding down member 23 formed to bearon theouter side of the blade,and having approximately keyhole shapedorifices 24 whose larger ends are formed to receive the studs 20, thearrangement rear edge portion of the guard being such that when thestudshave entered the larger ends of the orifices 24 the plate 23 ismovable edgewise to cause the narrower ends of the orifices to engagethe stud slots 22. and thus confine the plate 23 and the blade in apredetermined position relative to the guard plate.

The rear edge of the blade rest is connected with the rear edge portionof the guard plate 12 by hinge means adapted to permit an edge of theblade to cooperate with the serrated edge of the guard plate 12, inshaving, the blade rest and blade being inclined relative to the guardplate, as best shown by Figure 3.

Said hinge means preferably includes ears 25 upstanding from oppositeends of the guard plate, a hinge socket member 26 formed on the rearedge of the guard plate, and a hinge pintle member 27 (Figure 3)inserted in orifices in the ears 25, and in the socket member 26.

The socket member 26 is externally formed to be yieldingly engaged by aresilient ear-28 on the rear edge of the holding-down plate 23, suchengagement being elfected when the holdingdown plate is pushed inward tocause the narrower portion of the orifices 24 to engage the slots of thestuds 20, said earyielding when passing over the socket member 26, andthen springing inward to the position shown by Figure 3, and preventing,accidental outward movement of said plate from its holding-downposition. The holding-down plate may be provided with an orifice 29whose edges may be engaged by a finger to push the plate inward andoutward.

The body and blade rest have detent means for releasably confining therest in cooperative relation to the guard plate in shaving, said detentmeans being provided in this instance by a resilient metal finger 30having an end portion 32 rigidly attached to the handle by being clampedbetween the handle sections 14 and 15, and a hook 33 at its opposite endportion. The guard plate is provided with a slot 34, and the blade restwith a coinciding slot 35, one edge of which is reinforced by a lip 36integral with the rest. The finger 30 extends through the slots 34 and35, and its hook 33 constitutes a detent member adapted to springautomatically into engagement with the lip 36, which constitutes acomplemental detent member. The intermediate portion of the finger 30 isexposed between the handle and the guard plate so that it may be pressedinwardly by the operator toward the handle to disengage the hook 33 fromthe lip 36, and permit the blade rest and blade to swing away from theguard plate as shown by Figures 4 and 5, and thus condition the razorfor stropping.

The forward edge of the blade rest is offset inwardly from the edge ofthe blade secured thereto as indicated by the dotted line showing of theblade in Figure 1, so that said edge is enabled to cooperate with theteeth of the guard plate in the usual manner when the razor isconditioned for shaving. The blade rest is provided at its opposite endswith resilient members here shown as thin resilient ears 38 located atopposite ends of the confined blade, and projecting forward from theedge thereof as indicated by Figure 1, these members being adapted tofunction as hereinafter described, when the razor is conditioned forstropping.

As already stated, when the detent members 33 and 36 are interengag'ed,the razor is conditioned'for shaving.

-When it is desired to'sharpen the blade the detent member 33 isdisplaced from its operative position by inward pressure on theresilient finger 30, so that the blade rest and blade are adapted toswing on the hinge connection between said rest and the guard, andoscillate in the directions required to present first one side, and thenthe opposite side of the blade edge to a strop S.

The arrangement is such that the secured blade may be sharpenedbyholding the handle substantially perpendicular to the strop, asindicated by Figures 4 and 5, and moving it to and fro over the strop inthe directions indicated by the arrows, to impart stropping movements tothe blade, one side of the blade edge being sharpened by a movement inone direction, and the opposite side by a movement in the oppositedirection. During these movements the resilient blade rest members 38bear yieldingly and slide on the strop, and are flexed to permitsuitable pressure of the blade against the strop.

' When each of said movements is reversed, the ends of the members 38engage the surface of the strop, and cause the lifting of the blade edgefrom said surface, as indicated by Figure 7, when the blade rest andblade are swinging from either of the inclined positions shown byFigures 4 and 5 toward the other, so that contact of the blade edge withthe strop during reversal is impossible. When the members 38 aresuitably inclined they permit stropping contact of the blade edge withthe strop, as already stated. Y l 1;? I provide means for maintainingthe blade r st and blade at a suitable angle to the strop during thestropping movements. Said means in this instance includes the finger 30,the hooked end of which bears on the blade rest 18 during a stroppingmovement in one direction, said finger acting as a strut; or stop, asindicated by Figure 4. Another element of said means is a curved ear 40which is formed on the guard plate and bears on the blade rest during astropping movement in the opposite direction, as shown by Figure 5, saidear acting also as a strut, or stop.

Figures 8 and 9 show a razor which differs from that shown by thepreceding figures, chiefly in that the blade rest is provided with meansfor confining a blade 190 having one cutting edge and a thickened back191.

The blade rest is made by folding a sheet metal blank to the form shownby Figure 9 to provide a, main portion, or blade rest 41, on which oneside of the blade bears, the forward edge of said portion having themembers 38, a holding down portion 42 overhanging the main portion 41,and bearing on the opposite side of the blade, ridges '43 formed on theportions 41 and 42 forming a space receiving the thickened back of theblade, and a hollow neck portion 44 resiliently connecting the portions41 and 42, and formed to receive the pintle 27.

The neck portion 44 is provided with two slots 45, one of which is shownby dotted lines in Figure 9, through which the finger 30 extends. Thehook 33 of said finger engages the outer side of the neck portion 42, asshown by Figure 8, to maintain the razor conditioned for shaving.

'When the razor is conditioned for stopping, the

finger 30 bears on the inner side of the holdingdown portion 42, andacts as a strut to maintain one inclination of the blade rest and blade,and the guard plate ear 40 acts as a strut to maintain the oppositeinclination as described in connection with Figures 4 and 5.

A rod 46 may be provided to push the blade back 190 into, andparticularly out of, the space between the ridges 43. Said rod may behoused in the handle section 14 when not in use, as indicated by Figure8.

The sharpening operation is essentially a stropping operation, the bladerest and blade trailing after the handle, as indicated by Figures 4 and5. When the blade reaches one end of its stropping movement, and theblade rest and blade are inclined as shown by Figure 4, the operatorinclines the handle in the direction required to cause the ends of themembers 38 to slightly indent and engage the strop, thus preventing saidmembers from sliding, and then reverses the stropping movement of thehandle. The reversal causes the blade rest and blade to swing until theyassume the inclined position shown by Figure 5, the member 38 being thuspositioned to again bear yieldingly, and slide on the strop, the bladeedge being lifted from the strop .during the reversal.

It will now be seen that the stropping manipulation is very simple, andinvolves but little care on the part of the operator.

I claim:

1. A safety razor comprising a body including a guard plate having aserrated edge and a handle fixed to, and projecting outward from theguard plate, a blade rest having means for releasably 14 securing ablade thereto, hinge means connecting the rear edge of the rest with theguard plate, and arranged to permit an edge of the blade to cooperatewith the serrated edge of the guard plate in shaving, the body and bladerest having detent means for releasably confining the rest and blade incooperative relation to the guard plate, the forward edge of the bladerest being ofiset inwardly from the edge of a blade secured thereto, theends of the blade rest being provided With resilient members located atopposite ends of a confined blade and projecting forward from the edgethereof, the arrangement being such that when the blade rest is securedby said detent means, the razor is conditioned for shaving, and when therest is released the razor is so conditioned that the secured blade maybe sharpened by holding the handle substantially perpendicular to astro-p, and moving it to and fro over the stamp, resilient blade restmembers bearing yieldingly and sliding on the strop during the stroppingmovements, and engaging the strop to lift the blade edge therefrom whenthe stropping movements are being reversed, means being provided formaintaining the blade rest and blade at predetermined angles to thehandle and the strop during the stropping'movements.

2. A safety razor as specified by claim 1, the means for maintaining theblade rest and blade at predetermined angles tothe handle and to astrop, including a finger secured at one end to the handle and extendingthrough slots in the guard plate and blade rest, said fingerconstituting a strut or stop adapted to maintain one of said angles, andan ear on the rear edge of the guard plate constituting a strut or stopadapted to maintain the other angle.

3. A safety razor as specified by claim 1, the blade securing meansincluding spaced apart studs fixed to the blade rest and adapted toenter orifices in a two-edged blade, said studs having slots extendingparallel with each other, and a holding down member slidable on theblade rest and having keyhole shaped orifices including larger endsformed to receive said studs, and narrower ends formed to be engagedwith the stud slots by a sliding movement of said member, the holdingdown member being provided with a resilient ear adapted to be separablyengaged with a member of said hinge means by said sliding movement.

4. A safety razor as specified by claim 1, the detent means beingembodied in a hook formed on one end of a resilient finger whoseopposite end is rigidly attached to the handle, said hook constituting adetent member, and a complemental detent member associated with theblade rest,

an intermediate portion of said finger being ex-' posed between thehandle and guard plate to receive pressure causing fiexure of saidfinger HARRIS L. MACNEILL.

